Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato
by DimensionSlip
Summary: Persona 3 Prequel. A collection of chronological short stories detailing the adventures and experiences of the SEES founders, Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Shinjiro. Each chapter focuses on the point of view of one member. Ch5: Akihiko - False Alarm
1. Akihiko: First Dark Hour

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Persona 3 or any of its reincarnations. If I owned it, I would've commissioned a prequel staring Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Shinjiro. All creative rights to the characters named in this story belong to Atlus and I certainly do not profit from this story._

Against my better judgment, I decided to experiment on writing in first person, so I could train myself to write emotions better. This is basically a series of chronological short stories detailing the adventures of the original SEES members, Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Shinjiro. Each chapter will be told in a different person's point of view.

This is rated T, to be safe, because of mild profanity and possible violence in later chapters. Is it possible to write a fic with Shinjiro in it without swearing? :O

Anyway, I'll start with Akihiko. Here goes~

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><p><strong>Akihiko: First Dark Hour<strong>

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><p>Without warning, my room suddenly plunged into darkness.<p>

I gazed at the ceiling, glaring at what I presumed to be the fluorescent lamp, willing it to come alive. What perfect timing for the electricity to give out. This was not good, as I was in the middle of cramming my math worksheets. I stared blankly at my lap, grumbling at my unfinished homework. Fortunately, my bed was right beside the window, hugging the wall, so I adjusted my eyes to the faint glow provided by the moonlight. That will have to do for now. Squinting at the papers, I can't help but feel that there was something strange going on. There was a greenish tinge to the paper that was never there before. Damn, I must be really tired. Setting aside my homework and pen on the side of the bed, I decided to take a break. I stretched my arms, shoulders cracking from being hunched for hours.

For some reason, I felt cold. Unusually cold. Laying my hands on my lap, I shivered involuntarily, wrapping the thin blanket on my lap tighter around my body. It wasn't this cold when the light was on. I also realized it was quiet. Creepily silent. The dormitory provided by the school was situated in the middle of Shirakawa Boulevard, a seedy commercial area which stayed busy until about three in the morning. I suppose this is what we get for being a bunch of students on scholarship. At this time (Was it midnight? The last time I checked the time, it was 11:30pm.), the noise level would have been respectable. Curious, I shifted uneasily from my seating position, uncrossing my legs. Ignoring the numbness of my limbs, I inched towards the window, my mattress groaning at the movement, and decided to look out the window.

The scene that greeted me made a chill run down my spine. The moon was colored a sickly green, illuminating the sky. The clouds glowed eerily, their black expanse framing the crescent moon, creating a backdrop perfect for a horror movie. Seriously, was that blood running down the side of that building?

I wasn't the type of person who scared easily, but that was enough for me to tear my eyes off the window, the back of my neck prickling. I punched the wall to wake myself up, hoping I just fell asleep in the middle of solving for x. Pain shot up my arm. Oww, that hurt, I think I just bruised my knuckles, judging by how my hand was throbbing. Smart move, Sanada, really smart, using the wall as a punching bag. The worst part is that you did it without bothering to put on hand wraps. At least you had enough sense to use your right fist instead of your left; else Coach might've killed you for damaging your Golden Left Fist of Doom.

Hugging my legs, keeping my blanket close, I checked the situation inside my room, which I shared with three other people, my best friend Shinji, some guy named Tetsuo, and a kid named Yamato. It was no better than what I saw outside, perhaps even worse. I did a double-take, sitting on the papers scattered on my bed. Damn, I hope Yumiko-sensei doesn't kill me tomorrow for submitting these crumpled worksheets. My heart almost leaped out of my throat. Instead of Tetsuo and Yamato's sleeping forms, there were two red glows on two beds across mine. For a moment, I seriously thought a red-eyed demon was staring back at me. After waiting for my heart to stop racing, I crawled to the edge of my bed to inspect the strange phenomena, gripping my blanket tightly, as if it would form some sort of shield between me and what lies unknown.

Studying the red glow, I could make out some distinct sharp edges, hexagonal in nature. Was my mind messing with me, or did I just see a coffin?

At that point, I was afraid to look at my left. Did the same fate befall Shinji? Still praying that this was just a very realistic dream, I closed my eyes, slowly turning my head to the left. Taking a deep breath, I slowly opened my eyes.

To my surprise and unending relief, he was just fast asleep. As usual, he was sleeping on his side, his dark hair disheveled, and his back towards my direction. I envied him. How can he sleep through this event? Right now, I seriously don't know how I will be able to get my six hours of sleep, and it looks like I will be turning in unfinished worksheets at school. How can I concentrate on solving linear equations when two of my roommates have been replaced with caskets? I wasn't close to them, but still, wouldn't anyone be freaked out by that sight? Although, to be honest, it was comforting to know that I wasn't alone in experiencing this event, which I already established as something that wasn't a dream.

Shinji stirred in his sleep and rolled over, facing me, his gray eyes meeting my gaze. "…Aki. Still awake huh?" he muttered groggily. "Get some rest, you can copy my homework tomorrow."

"But Shinji-" I tried to protest, but he cut me off.

"No 'buts', your coach is a total slave driver. Doesn't he know that letting you practice until seven in the evening leaves you barely any time to finish your schoolwork?" he murmured, closing his eyes once more. Then, he described my coach using a word that would've gotten my ass handed to me if I said it out loud during boxing practice. In addition, I'd probably be kicked out of the team in no time flat.

Seeing that Shinji was conscious through this ordeal, I seized that opportunity to say, "Shinji, in case you didn't notice, our roommates just turned into coffins."

It took a while for him to respond. "Good one. Now go to sleep, Aki."

"I'm serious, Shinji."

"You said the same thing during that time you thought you saw a yokai under your bed. Turns out it was just Keiko's stuffed tanuki doll."

"At our age now, do you think I would joke about something like this?" I replied in annoyance.

He finally understood that I wasn't kidding. Unsteadily, he pulled himself into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes. His eyes widened in astonishment when he saw the scene painted in front of him. After the initial surprise, he plopped back on his bed.

"Good night, Aki." He pulled his blanket over his body and turned away from me.

…That's it? "Oi, Shinji. You're taking this very well. Unusually well." I emphasized the last two words.

"Is there anything we'll be able to do about it? I ain't staying up all night worrying about our roommates' mysterious transformation."

I pouted at him, even if he can't see me. "I envy you, Shinji. How can you sleep through all this?"

"Think happy thoughts," he mumbled.

"How can I think pleasantly when I'm stuck in a set reminiscent of _The Twilight Zone_?" I argued. Was he really serious about that? When he didn't reply, I realized that he actually fell asleep. Dammit, Shinji. I envy you and your happy thoughts mantra.

Once again, I stared at the ceiling, hoping for the light to come back. Everything else that my eyes could see was tinted green, for some reason. It reminded me of the time I played with the green cellophane in art class back in elementary school. I'd put it over my face, calling my classmates aliens and martians, much to their exasperation. Needless to say, my teacher wasn't pleased with me. Aside from taking away the film from me, she made me sit in the corner for the rest of the class.

After what seemed like eons, there was a flash of brightness that enveloped the room, temporarily blinding me. I readjusted my eyes to the light, blinking out the stars that danced in front of me. Once my vision was straightened out, I glanced despondently at my wrinkled, half-finished worksheets. Then, I diverted my attention to the wall clock hanging by the door. Upon reading the time, I blanched. It was, what, twelve in the midnight? That whole Twilight Zone affair felt like it took hours. How could that be? To be sure, I sneaked next to Tetsuo's bed. Whew, thank God he and Yamato were finally back to normal. I leaned quietly and inspected the wristwatch on his outstretched hairy arm. The display read 0:08. Amazing. Did time freeze during the span of time the lights were out?

I crept back to my bed, and attended to my homework once more. Nevertheless, my mind kept wandering back to the blackout, brooding about the ins and outs of that bizarre episode. Eventually, my mind kept on drawing a blank, on both linear equations and the incident. Also, my vision was starting to blur. The equations on the paper were starting to look like paintball stains. Or ants crawling on my table once I was through with them. I stifled a yawn. Whew, I must be exhausted. It was weird, because normally I'd have enough energy to last until two in the morning. This time, I had to throw my hands to the air in surrender. Looks like I'll be owing Shinji another favor.

After packing my stuff and switching off the lights, I laid on my bed, pondering on Shinji's words. Shifting sidewards, I stared vacantly at his back, watching his side rise and fall as he breathed in and out. _Think happy thoughts._ Smiling ruefully, I closed my eyes, remembering how Miki, Shinji, and I used to play hide-and-seek back in the orphanage. During the times I was 'It', I'd have a kick finding out Shinji's hiding place, while I'd feign surprise when I see Miki lurking nearby. My sister didn't really bother hiding, even if that was the concept of the game. Sweet little Miki, the first person to break the brick wall Shinji built around himself. All it took were her innocent smiles and her amazing persistence, dragging Shinji everywhere we went, much to my chagrin, at first. For some reason, she was never intimidated by the brunet who hung by a corner of the orphanage, emitting an intimidating aura, often lost in his own thoughts. She must've sensed how lonely he was, and his longing for a companion to understand him.

Man, I missed her so much. A tear threatened to come out of my eye, which I absentmindedly brushed away. So much for thinking happy thoughts.

Somehow, Shinji's advice worked, as I eventually drifted off to sleep, albeit a fitful one.

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><p>Does the title need an explanation? I've been looking through lists of famous trios, and this sandwich came up. So far, it's the one that best fit the dynamics of the Akihiko-Mitsuru-Shinjiro trio. Let's see, according to Wikipedia (which is not the most reliable source, but nonetheless for purposes of my lame title explanation will suffice), the bacon "carries" the flavor of the sandwich, the lettuce is possibly redundant, and the tomato, some people argue, is the "key ingredient". I wholeheartedly agree with this because I eat mine sans the lettuce. Overall, there are numerous variations on the sandwich, as some people would even dare to have a BLT sandwich without the bacon, lettuce, or tomato. Still, despite all the arguments about the ingredients, it's called a Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato sandwich.<p>

Personally, I see Akihiko as the bacon, Shinjiro as the lettuce, and Mitsuru as the tomato.

Next chapter: Mitsuru: Recruiting Akihiko. Scenario suggestions for future chapters are welcome, and as usual, I welcome feedback regarding this chapter. xD


	2. Mitsuru: Recruiting Akihiko

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Persona 3 or any of its reincarnations. __If I did, then I would've extended the Akihiko's Past scene in P3 FES, or included Shinjiro in it. All creative rights to the characters named in this story belong to Atlus and I certainly do not profit from this story._

Alright, it's the Tomato's turn now. =)

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><p><strong>Mitsuru: Recruiting Akihiko<strong>

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><p><em>Snap.<em>

I stared at my hair brush in utter mortification. Hanging loosely between the teeth of the brush were some of my burgundy hair strands. I silently cursed the researchers who kept me in the lab for God knows how long. Didn't they know that hair like mine required continuous maintenance? Those tresses didn't fall into place on their own. Exasperated, I discarded my brush, tossing it on my queen-sized bed, wringing my hands in the air.

Taking a seat on the plush chair in front of my dresser, I ran a hand through my red locks. As a result, my finger snagged on one of my tangled ringlets. Sighing deeply, I extracted my hand from my hair, with some difficulty. Normally, my hair was fairly manageable despite being long and wavy, but due to certain tests that were conducted on me several hours ago, my curls were in a state of frizziness that couldn't be solved by brushing alone. I should've known better than to run a brush through my hair.

Irritated, I got off my seat, scowled at my reflection in the dresser mirror, and stomped towards my bathroom. Looks like I have to call in the big guns. Kicking off my boots and shedding my pencil skirt and white, long-sleeved school top, along with my underwear, I stepped in the shower. Turning the taps on, I let the cold water flow down my tresses. While sorting out my hairy mess using a multitude of hair products, my thoughts drifted to my earlier conversation with Shuji Ikutsuki, the school chairman.

Sanada Akihiko, captain of the boxing team. He was in my year and he maintained a high GPA. Unlike me, he only became aware of the Dark Hour recently. According to the security cameras installed in the Shirakawa Dormitory, he seemed to have adjusted to it pretty well. His coping mechanism revolved around sleeping through it. He'd finish his schoolwork before midnight, and during the times when his club practice ran late, he would wake up at the crack of dawn, or copy Aragaki Shinjiro's homework.

Aragaki Shinjiro, a certified delinquent. It astounded me when I discovered that he maintained a fairly above average GPA. Not as high as Sanada's, and certainly not on par with mine. Personally, I think he would've surpassed his friend's GPA, or made it to the top 10 at least, if not for his dismal attendance grades. The school records mentioned that his foul mouth and general disrespect for authority lands him in detention more often than not. Similar to his friend, he dealt with the Dark Hour by sleeping through it, and was more successful with that course of action because he did not have any extracurricular activities to speak of.

According to the Chairman, Sanada and Aragaki were two candidates "with the potential". However, unlike me, they have yet to awaken their Personas. Due to the researching team's interest in the two, I was tasked to recruit them into this "club" that the Chairman was planning to form. He called it "Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad", or SEES for short. Knowing him, I bet he thought of the word SEES before forming what it meant.

Once I was done conditioning, moisturizing, and revitalizing my hair, I stepped out of the shower. I squeezed out the excess water from my hair using one of the fluffy white towels hanging on the bars nearby. Tossing the wet towel on the laundry basket, I picked up a bigger one and wrapped it around my torso. Once it was secure, I lightly tossed my hair backwards and exited my bathroom.

I took the two envelopes on my work desk. Waiting for my hair to dry, I sat on the edge of my bed and laid out the contents of the envelopes on my pink, flower-embroidered bedcover. For a while, I stared blankly at the documents regarding the pair, wondering how in the world I should approach this problem. How was I supposed to ask them to join? Sanada was obsessed with fighting. The only reason I refrain from calling him a musclehead is because he manages to maintain a respectable GPA. With that in mind, it would have been theoretically easy to convince him to join a club whose job is to exterminate creatures of the night. However, he did not seem like the type who would fight because it was the right thing to do. I was passing by when I saw him laugh disdainfully at some factory workers who were picketing in front of the Iwatodai courthouse. He visibly scoffed at the futility of their cause, and mentioned something about them being better off "talking with their fists".

On the other hand, there's Aragaki. He seemed like a tougher nut to crack. He'd probably jeer at me if I walked up to him and asked him straight out if he wanted to join my club. He has called me "Miss Priss" on occasion, and I wouldn't be surprised if he thought I was inviting him into a tea party of sorts. Personally, I was not enthusiastic about letting him join, but the Chairman insisted, as we needed more Persona users.

Sighing deeply, I picked up one of the photos, studying it. It was a picture of Sanada and Aragaki at school. The image was rather sweet, actually. The former was grinning widely at the latter, who was smiling back gently. For obvious reasons, none of them were looking at the camera. A light wind must've been blowing, because Aragaki's hair was swept towards his left. Their eyes were closed, as if they didn't have a care in the world. Were they sharing a private joke? I envied their degree of closeness. The only person I could dare say I was close to was my father, Kirijo Takeharu. To be honest, I'm not sure if he even counts, because he's a blood relative. Despite his busy schedule, he spares some time for me each Sunday. He tries his best to take my mind off being a walking human experiment by bringing me to the mall to splurge on clothes or taking out me to a fancy restaurant. Personally, I did not think there was a need for those stunts. I was contented with spending time with him in our house. But if it made him feel less guilty about the burden I chose to bear, then I will continue to indulge him.

As I was reminiscing, an idea suddenly popped up in my head. I'd dare say it was what people called a "light bulb moment". I definitely know how I'm going to approach this problem. Getting up from my bed, I strode to my dresser. Flipping open my cellphone, I began to dial, a smile forming on my lips as I put the phone to my ear.

~o~

After Fencing Club practice, I decided to bide my time outside the gym corridor after depositing my things in my limousine. I leaned next to one of the pillars, waiting for the moment when boxing practice was over.

Hearing the doors fly open, I had to cover my ears as some girls screeched, "Akihiko-kun!" I slapped my right hand on my forehead, gritting my teeth in annoyance. These were the type of women that made me ashamed of being female.

"Hold on a sec. You're the captain, aren't you?" I heard another voice as I uncovered my ears. The new voice sounded male. It was distinctively deeper, a sign that this man was not a boxing club member. I decided not to move out of my inadequate hiding place, as I was curious as to how this conversation will play out.

"Argh, quit pushing! Practice time is over!" complained one of the boxing club members. Apparently, this man forced his way through the throng which I assumed has built up near the gym entrance.

The deep voice spoke once more. "Hey you! Sanada-kun, right?"

"...That's right." Sanada replied disinterestedly.

"That was an amazing bout! I've never seen a junior high fighter deliver a KO like that! I'm with the school you were up against in the finals. What do you say about enrolling with us? We'll give you a fat scholarship- you'd only have to pay half your tuition!" I sneered at his words. Didn't he know that Sanada was enrolled as a merit scholar? I was tempted to step out and jeer at his sheer stupidity, but I knew that Father wouldn't approve. Instead, I continued to listen.

"Hey... you're from another school! That's against the rules and you know it!" Another member protested.

"Sorry, but I don't see any reason to join a school that places second." Sanada sounded ticked off. "...Get outta here."

More squealing ensued. I closed my eyes and shielded my ears once more. This, and the earlier incident, must be the "fangirling" I've read about. I didn't know it was this annoying in real life.

"Come on already! Go home! ...Dammit, we can't leave until you guys do!" At long last, one of Sanada's lackeys succeeded in shooing his fan club, including the dimwitted boxing scout, away.

I heard him sigh as the footsteps died away. A soft chuckle escaped from my throat. "Couldn't you have handled that a little more politely?" I said, stepping out of the shadows and making my way towards him. He looked surprised to see me. The silver-haired candidate was wearing the prescribed white shirt, together with the black slacks and closed shoes required by the school. However, his blazer was over his shoulder instead of over his white top. Understandable, because it can get really hot these days. Plus, he just came from club practice. Once I was in front of him, I looked at him straight in the eye and continued confidently, "I heard it gets crowded after practice, so I waited here instead. Third year, class C... Akihiko Sanada."

He walked towards a nearby pillar and leaned on it. "Whatddaya want?" he asked in a bored, almost irritated tone.

I tried to hide the smile forming on my lips. "...Aren't you going to ask who I am?"

"No need. Whatever you've come for, I don't want to get involved. All I want is to train and get stronger," he declared, as I expected.

I pretended to indulge him. "It's nothing troublesome. I have a very simple request."

"A request...?" He looked at me inquisitively.

"I have enemies that need defeating." He raised his eyebrows in amusement. "They're not people, I assure you. You wouldn't be bound by the rules of boxing." I paused for emphasis, watching as his aggravated expression softened. "No, the enemies I speak of... they're related to what you've recently been experiencing each midnight." He flinched at those words. At this point, I had his full attention, judging by the intensity of his gaze on me. I pushed on. "You see, I'm in the same situation. I experience the same thing you do." His eyes widened at those words. "The difference is, I know what it means. If you come with me... I'll share what I know with you."

He continued staring at me. "Who... are you?" he asked in wonder as he lifted himself from his leaning position, standing upright.

"Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm a third year, like yourself."

"Kirijo...? I've heard that name before." Of course he has. Who did he think owned the school he was enrolled at?

"You said you wanted to build your strength. What you really need is a riskier challenge." Time for the coup de grace. I pulled out a gun out of my right pocket and held it out to him, the barrel to his direction. "And with this... you can challenge 'them.'"

Sanada's eyes were transfixed on the gun. Then, his dark gray eyes met my auburn ones, as if to ask if I was really serious about this. When I nodded in agreement, he slowly began to reach out for it.

The tip of his hand was on the barrel when a brunet wearing a black skull cap walked down the corridor towards us. Sanada quickly withdrew his hand, whilst I sighed in annoyance. "Hey, Aki, what's taking you so damn long? Is it another of your fan girls?" He stopped dead on his tracks when he saw me conversing with Sanada. _Ah, the infamous Aragaki Shinjiro has arrived._After scowling in my direction, he spoke to his friend, "Come on, I don't like being caught up in the rush hour." He tapped his foot impatiently, throwing another dirty look at me. Looks like he wants me to leave them alone. Sorry Aragaki, but I'm not the type of person to leave a job unfinished. I held my ground by glaring back at him with equal intensity.

Wordlessly, Sanada nodded towards my outstretched hand. Aragaki followed his gaze, eyes widening when he saw the object I possessed. His eyes narrowed at me suspiciously. "What is the meaning of this, Kirijo?" _Excuse me? _Up to now, I was able to predict their every movement, but I have to admit, I was taken aback by the way he addressed me. No honorifics? Admittedly, I often dropped them. But a person like him, addressing me like that? UNFORGIVABLE.

I took a deep breath, trying to hide my irritation. "It's called an Evoker. You use it to summon your Persona, which is a facet of your psyche that manifests when you come to terms with Death." I turned to Sanada. "It will be your most important tool in battling the creatures I spoke of."

"Evoker? Persona? Battle? You may be able to fool Aki with those, but you ain't shitting me." He stepped in front of his friend defensively. "You're not making him eat this cock and bull story you came up with."

"Uh... Shinji, it's okay." Sanada placed his free hand on Aragaki's shoulder, perhaps to reassure him. "It's just a club invitation, which doesn't sound so bad, actually." He swallowed nervously when he saw the incredulous look on his friend's face. "Yeah, part of me thinks that she's nuts, but... she knows, Shinji." His friend's gray eyes widened in surprise when it dawned upon him what Sanada was referring to, while I pretended not to hear the "nuts" comment. "Plus, she said something about a riskier challenge."

The brunet glared at me once again, realizing how I was able to convince his friend to support my cause. "Prove it," he demanded.

I shrugged. This was going to be easy. "Sure, not here, though." I looked around the corridor. It was empty, but it doesn't hurt to play it safe. "Let's go outside."

~o~

It was already dark when the three of us stepped outside, into the empty tennis court. Since practice time was over, all the lights were off. They trailed behind me in silence as we walked across the field bathed by the moonlight. The grass crunched beneath our feet as we made our way to the center of the field.

Once we reached our destination, I turned to face them. "This is how you summon your Persona." I pressed the gun to my temple. According to the designer of the Evoker, I was supposed fire the gun in order to call out my Persona. Honestly, I've never tried this summoning method before. Usually, Penthesilea manifested herself when she felt like it, or when the scientists went too far with their tests. In fact, I never actually summoned her on my own. All of a sudden my hands were shaking uncontrollably, and I almost lost my grip on the gun. _Get a hold of yourself, Mitsuru!_

"Getting cold feet, Kirijo?" Aragaki commented snidely. He must've noticed my hesitation, and was sneering openly at me.

He got me there, but I wasn't about to admit that. "You wish," I shot back. I heard the sound of shattering glass as I fired the gun. A familiar blue fog surrounded me, and a graceful warrior wielding two swords materialized behind me. I smiled triumphantly at the two, who were gaping at me in shock, and possibly awe. I was pleased to note that Aragaki was at a loss for words.

As the Queen of Amazons disappeared, I handed the gun to Sanada. "Your call." I shrugged noncommittally, meeting his gaze square on.

Biting his lower lip, he reluctantly accepted the Evoker from me. He began fiddling with it, pointing it against his temple, putting it down, transferring it to his right hand, pointing it to his temple again, and then transferring it back to his left hand. The cycle continued for a while. Finally, he said, "This… feels awkward. I've never held a gun before, and certainly haven't fired one…"

"You don't have to hold it the normal way, if it makes you uncomfortable," I quipped.

"Like…this?" he asked, holding the gun upside down in his left hand. He pressed it on the center of his forehead. "Still feels strange, but whatever." He stared cross-eyed at the gun and fired. A blonde man with long, flowing hair, clad in full battle armor, emerged from the blue fog. His master stared at him in shock. After recovering from his surprise, he remarked, "Another me, huh… interesting." An amused smile formed on his lips as his Persona faded away. "Count me in, Kirijo-san." He looked at me excitedly. I smiled back at him, admiring his spirit.

"This is… not an elaborate trick, is it, Kirijo…" Aragaki said faintly, recovering from his speechlessness. Then, realizing what his friend just said, his voice took on a harsh tone. "Are you serious, Aki?"

"Yeah?" his friend replied defensively. "It's better than sticking around, waiting for the next boxing championship. I'd rather spend my time fighting a worthy opponent than venting out my stress on the school's punching bag."

"Lame reasoning, Aki." He turned to me, frowning. "If he's joining, then I am too."

"Who are you, my mother?" Sanada exclaimed in disbelief, groaning audibly.

"Someone needs to keep you in check, and I don't think that Kirijo is up for that job," he said bluntly, all the while glowering at me. _Ouch._

I stared back at him balefully. "You can only join if you have a Persona."

"Sure as hell I do," he replied with conviction. Without warning, he snatched the Evoker from Sanada's hands, whose eyes widened in shock at his friend's actions. Gripping it tightly in his right hand, he placed it against his temple and fired without hesitation. A familiar-looking blonde humanoid came forth. Aside from wearing his hair long, he also sported the same battle armor as Sanada's Persona. Aside from their armor's color scheme, other notable differences between the two were the spear sticking out of his chest and the strange black horse he was riding on.

_Polydeuces and Ca__stor. The brightest stars of the Gemini constellation. I wasn't so sure about the "brightest" factor, but the Gemini motif fit them quite nicely._

"What the fuck?" He swore, studying his Persona dubiously as it faded away. "That was supposed to be my inner self?"

"Yours… was riding on a toy horse." Sanada stifled a laugh.

"At least mine didn't have a needle for an arm." Aragaki shot back, giving his friend a half-smiling, half-disgusted look. Then, he glared at me; as if it was my fault his Persona had a lame excuse for a mount.

They continued arguing about their Personas. _Men._ I rolled my eyes. At least everything went according to plan. My hypothesis was correct. _Recruit Sanada Akihiko, get Aragaki Shinjiro for free._ My accomplishment caused me to smile inwardly. I still did not like the idea of Aragaki joining, but those were the Chairman's specifications.

Needless to say, mission accomplished.

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><p>I hope I didn't mess up Mitsuru's character. It's so hard to write as her. D: Basically, I saw her as calm and mature on the outside, but with some slight insecurities on the inside. She also acts slightly differently when she's alone, because she no longer has to put up a front. Plus, she's a total daddy's girl, though I didn't show much of that aspect in this particular story.<p>

And, this particular chapter was longer than I anticipated. I blame it on the Akihiko's Past scene.

Here's a bonus for Akihiko and Shinjiro fans. The photo Mitsuru was looking at? Link: i40(dot)photobucket(dot)com(slash)albums(slash)e237(slash)katastrophes(dot)AkiShin12(dot)jpg. BTW, it's not my work, it's just a small part of my Persona 3 image dump.

Next chapter I planned out: Shinjiro: Choosing a Weapon. This may take a while to come out, since I need to get working on my other story. I've been putting it on the back burner for days, LOL. I suppose two exercises are enough. Until then, thanks for all the support!

_Review reply corner_

**Exhile87**: Thanks for the feedback, it seriously made my day. xD Hmm, when I visualized this situation and took into account Akihiko's nature, he struck me as the type of person who would be visibly perturbed by the situation, but not to the extent of "crying like a baby" like Junpei did during his first dark hour. I see him as a calm and collected person, notwithstanding his overall dorkiness when dealing with girls. As for Shinji, he was really just sleepy.

**EpicPrinnyDood**: I am considering that, but you guys wouldn't see that for a while, as the incident marks the end of the trio. :(


	3. Shinjiro: What an Axe

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Persona 3 or any of its reincarnations. __If I did, Shinjiro would have had a Gekkoukan uniform as an alternative costume in the game. All creative rights to the characters named in this story belong to Atlus and I certainly do not profit from this story._

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><p><strong>Shinjiro: What an Axe<strong>

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><p>One of the requirements in joining Kirijo's club, or SEES as she called it, was to move in to another dormitory, which was supposed to also double as our headquarters. I didn't really mind, because I certainly wasn't going to miss tough-guy wannabe Tetsuo and bratty kid Yamato. The important thing was, I needed to keep an eye on Aki.<p>

Aki. There were times I can't believe that this guy was my age. Sometimes, I even wondered what his groupies see in him, because as far as can see the guy has a tendency to act like a complete idiot. The mere fact that he agreed to be Kirijo's bitch in exchange for the promise of challenging fights was off-putting. Was there nothing else in his mind but competition? What also ticked me off was that Kirijo knew _exactly _which buttons to push. She had him eating out of her hand, alright. Was she a BS Sanada Akihiko major? And I thought his fan girls had it bad.

The new dormitory was located in Iwatodai. It was a refreshing change from the shithole we lived in back in Shirakawa. Of course, in a seedy place like that, we could expect no less. As for the Iwatodai Dormitory, it was different. _Way, different. _For once, the lounge was actually well-kept. I could see the teal color of the carpet, instead of a layer of dust and detritus. The brown leather couches didn't have any holes or stains in them, and I believe that the 24-inch TV in the lounge had cable in it. In addition, we even had a well-equipped kitchen. Hmph, it must be Kirijo magic at work. After all, the COO, aka the Child of the Owner, was staying with us. I'm kind of surprised her father did not object to letting his princess stay in a co-ed dorm. Well, Aki was harmless, but my record wasn't exactly stellar.

I was not like Aki, who got into our school because of an academic and sports scholarship. On the other hand, I was listed under students who needed financial assistance. However, the aid they provided barely covered my basic necessities. If I didn't work part time as a cook at Wild-Duck Burger, I'd probably have to survive on instant noodles all year long. Of course, I'd rather eat glass than admit to Aki that I flipped burgers every other afternoon at Grease City. The smell of the fatty oil and the thought of how many calories our customers must be consuming churned my stomach, but I bore with it, considering that the pay was surprisingly good. For a place that raked in millions by endangering their customers' health with junk food, that is. I get the feeling that they're keeping me in Gekkoukan in order to tie Golden Boy Sanada to the school. After all, what did they have to gain by retaining me, a guy who skipped classes for the heck of it and spent most of his after class hours in detention for snapping back at authorities?

Back to the Iwatodai Dormitory. For the first time, I had my own room. Since there were only three of us occupying the place, it was a quiet most of the time. It was something I was actually happy about. Gone were the days I had to pull my pillow around my ears to drown out the sound of my roommates' mindless chatter about muscles and girls. I still had to deal with Aki, though, but he's less annoying compared to the twits we used to live with. Plus, we were now a door apart (technically two doors, but who cares?) instead of being a few inches away. It was a relief, considering how he used to bother me about inconsequential stuff, like badgering me with invitations to join the school's boxing team so we can have fun together. As if. I am not too keen on spending my time venting out my frustration using a pair of oversized red gloves and parading around in shorts when a tournament comes around.

My room had a modestly sized-bed, a study table topped by a bright desk lamp, a wooden chair, a decent cabinet, and a desktop computer. I also had an air conditioner and a heater to boot. I've never had so much furniture to call my own in my life.

I will never admit it to Kirijo, but our new dorm's fucking awesome.

~o~

A few days after we moved in, we met Ikutsuki Shuji, the school chairman, who also doubled as our club adviser. It was fortunate that we just transitioned to wearing the winter uniform, because it was a cool and cloudy day. On the way back, I spotted a calico cat mewing by the dorm entrance. _Tch, why is it hanging around here? _It would be better off begging by a convenience store than a dormitory with three residents, who were out of the place for the most part. I ignored the animal as Aki and I entered the dormitory. However, for some reason, I can't seem to get its mournful expression out of my head. I excused myself as we were about to go up the stairs, mouthing something about the restroom. To avoid arousing suspicion, I hid in the men's bathroom for a minute. Once the coast was clear, I slipped past the lounge and through the door.

The cat moved to the bushes. It stopped meowing when it saw me approach. It gazed at me inquisitively as I crouched down next to it. Upon closer inspection, it looked like it hasn't eaten in a while, judging by how thin it was. Taking off my faded brown rucksack, I opened the zipper of my bag and began to rummage inside it. I hit gold when my hands felt a something smooth, like plastic. Pulling it out of my bag, I carefully unwrapped the plain onigiri enclosed in the plastic and held it out to the cat. Curious, it sniffed the triangular object on my hand. To my astonishment, it turned away from the food, uninterested. "Look, it doesn't taste so bad," I said, demonstrating by biting off a corner of the rice ball. It was a little on the salty side, but passable enough for my standards. I offered it to the stray once more. The feline blinked. Its yellow eyes watched me balefully, as if to ask why I was giving out such substandard food. _Tch, stupid, picky cat. _I sighed. Stuffing the rest of the onigiri in my mouth, I searched my bag once more and selected another rice ball, this time with a salted salmon filling. Again, I handed it to the animal, while chewing on my food. It smelled the item with interest and gingerly bit into the rice ball. The cat seemed to like it, because it took another bite. For a while, I just observed the orange-white cat as it slowly polished off the rice ball in my hand.

Unfortunately, our moment together was interrupted by an unfamiliar chuckle. "'Catting' around, are we?" Rattled, I quickly stood up, unintentionally dropping the rest of the onigiri on the ground. The cat gave me a very dirty look as I hastily zipped my bag close. At that point, I did not know that the long-haired brunet in the brown suit was someone I would be working with soon. It wouldn't have made much of a difference though. I would've just had additional names to choose from when I chose to address him.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, glaring vehemently at the newcomer.

He shrugged, much to my annoyance. "Just a random passerby." He grinned at me, which, for some reason, I found very creepy.

"Well, fuck off then, you're on the way," I replied as I stepped towards the dorm entrance, which he was blocking.

As I was saying this, Kirijo appeared, strutting towards us. She looked slightly bewildered when she saw the man by the doorstep. However, she got over her confusion quickly, because she let out a bemused smile when she laid her eyes on me. She probably overheard our conversation. How much she heard, I did not know. "Aragaki, it seems like you are now acquainted with The Chairman," she commented.

"Chairman of what?" I exclaimed. _Chairman of All That's Lame? _Lame hair, lame clothes, lame puns, just to name a few.

"Nevermind, let's go inside so I can formally introduce you two." She nodded towards the other man, who took it as his cue to climb up the steps leading to the entrance. "Is Sanada inside?" she asked as she sidestepped past me to unlock the door.

Lips pursed, I nodded and reluctantly followed them inside the dormitory. I slouched towards one of the large couches in the lounge and plopped into it, ignoring the guy seated across me.

"Would you please call Sanada while I'm busy preparing some drinks?" she requested, rather, demanded me, a look of annoyance flashing on her face, distorting her normally composed features.

Half-groaning, half-amused, I got off the couch and hiked up the stairs to the second floor, making my way to Aki's room. I rapped my knuckles against the door. "Hey, Aki, Kirijo wants a word with us," I said out loud, wondering if my voice carried all the way to the lounge.

"Coming, Shinji!" The door creaked open, revealing Aki, who already changed out of his uniform, into an old, white t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts.

"Aki, you should seriously consider wearing something more formal than that," I commented, thinking about the important-looking guy downstairs.

"It's just Kirijo-san and us, isn't it?" He shrugged cluelessly.

"There's another guy downstairs. 'The Chairman', Kirijo called him."

"The Chairman?" He looked alarmed upon hearing those words, eyes widening in shock. "Wait a minute, Shinji, I'm going to change." He hastily dived back in his room, slamming the door behind him.

I found it amusing that he was going to dress up for "The Chairman" and not for Kirijo. So, Aki knew this guy?

I was a little taken aback when he reappeared wearing the school uniform, complete with the blazer he abhorred, although he still kept that ridiculous band-aid over his nose. The guy in the monkey suit must be some big shot for Aki to pull out all the stops in terms of clothing.

Kirijo was carefully laying out four glasses on the table when Aki and I came down the stairs. There was a pitcher of orange juice on the table, which was probably the best Miss Student Council President could come up with given the time.

"Sorry, Mr. Chairman, our pantry has not been restocked yet," she apologized.

"Don't worry about it, Mitsuru," "The Chairman" waved it off, smiling as he poured a glass for himself. Taking a sip of his drink, he observed us as we made our way to the couch opposite him. Once we were settled down, he said, "My name is Ikutsuki Shuji." _Iku-what?_ He must've noticed the frown on my face, because he chortled. "'Chairman' is fine, I know my name's a mouthful. Anyway, it all fits, because I'm the Chairman of the Board of your school." He glanced at Aki. "Why, if it isn't Sanada Akihiko, our very own boxing champion. A pleasure to meet you again."

"Y-yes! And same to you, Sir!" he replied nervously, bowing deeply at him. Hmm, so my guess was correct. Aki met this guy before.

"Now, now, no need to be so jumpy, Sanada-san. After all, you don't want to 'jumpstart' our adventure prematurely." He laughed heartily as the three of us cringed at his god-awful pun.

Kirijo managed a chuckle which was a cross between a laugh and a "hmph"-sound, "You'll eventually get used to his puns," she told us as she took a glass and poured some juice for herself.

Yeah, we'd better, especially if we'd be working with this guy a lot. I took the pitcher and filled the two remaining glasses with orange juice. Returning it on the table, I took one of the glasses and offered it to Aki. He accepted it, mouthing his thanks as I claimed the remaining glass for myself.

"So, I believe that Mitsuru has informed you about this club's activities." Aki and I nodded. Kirijo told us the gist of it, something about Shadows prowling around during what she called the "Dark Hour". Apparently, it was our job to exterminate these abominations before they can wreck havoc on mankind. It sounded like something out of one of those sentai shows, Phoenix Ranger Featherman R, was it? "Of course, you can't rely on your Persona all the time. Summoning them can be quite taxing, as Mitsuru probably explained to you. You need to arm yourselves to reach maximum efficiency as Shadow hunters."

I took a sip of my juice. Tasting the orange liquid in my mouth, I nearly blanched. What the fuck? _Powdered orange juice? _I could almost taste all the sugar and artificial food coloring that went into the making of this drink. I swallowed, forcing myself not to spit out the disgusting substance in my mouth.

He looked at Kirijo. "Mitsuru is a fencer, so she'll be using a foil as a weapon. It never hurts to be prepared." Then, he turned to Aki. "Akihiko... mind if I call you Akihiko?" Aki shook his head as he said this. "Is a boxer, so he'll be fine too." He glanced at me, frowning. "My concern here is Shinjiro." I jolted at the name, nearly spilling my drink. "Do you have any preferred weapons? Sports?"

"No, I have my own means of making people shut up," I replied bluntly, setting my barely touched glass on the table, wiping my mouth on the sleeve of my blazer. I cringed as I saw Aki down the rest of his drink without a thought of its potential health risk.

An amused smile formed on the Chairman's face. "Alas, these are not humans we are dealing with. Conventional means do not work against them." His dark eyes met my gray ones as I tore my eyes away from Aki. "Meet Mitsuru tomorrow at the Student Council Office after school." Before Kirijo and I could protest, he continued, his voice taking on a serious tone. "You have no excuses. I made sure that you will be having no shift in Wild-Duck Burger and that your volunteer hours at-"

Pissed off, I lunged for him across the table, eyes flashing dangerously. During this course of action, I felt my hat slip off my head. I must've knocked over a glass, because Kirijo was exclaiming something about the carpet. Grabbing him by the collar, I hissed at him in a low voice, "I get your point. I'll be there, okay? Just hold your tongue on that." I did not dare comment on the potential blackmail factor of my volunteer hours at the animal shelter. How did he know about it? I could've sworn I've pulled out all the stops when covering my tracks to the animal shelter, from disguising myself using glasses or whatever props I can find to swearing all the other volunteers to secrecy. Damn, I shouldn't underestimate the Kirijo Zaibatsu's information network.

"Aragaki, let go of the Chairman," ordered Kirijo. I turned to the source of her voice. Our eyes met as she threw me a dirty look. Then, she directed her gaze at the liquid dripping from the table. Aki scrambled off the couch, muttering something about getting something to clean the mess.

Reluctantly, I released him, not without glowering at him. I sighed as I picked up my black skull cap from the floor. Sagging back into the couch without meeting Kirijo's eyes, I watched as Aki returned to the lounge, a wash cloth in hand. Looks like tomorrow was going to be a long day.

~o~

That evening, Aki cornered me outside my room. "You never told me you worked at Wild-Duck." His lips were curled into an amused smile as he punched me lightly on the shoulder, but his eyes betrayed the hurt he was feeling. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Oh God. I slapped my forehead. Not this again. Everytime he learned that I've been doing something behind his back, he gets really worried. "Tch, it wasn't important." In irritation, I began to rub the spot he jabbed.

"Is the allowance they're giving not enough? I can always spare you something," he offered. "Or we can ask Kirijo-san if she could do something about it."

"Over my dead body, Aki. OVER MY DEAD BODY."

He snickered at my statement. "I knew you would say that." Then, his tone became pensive. "Shinji, you don't have to keep all your problems to yourself. I mean, I'm here. At the very least, I can listen, and I might be able to help." He sighed. "Things must be really bad if you're working for a fast food chain. I know how you feel about them."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't sweat on it, Aki. You know very well that you need the money they're giving you. Those boxing shit you need don't come in cheap." I rolled my eyes. Secretly, I was thankful that he was concerned about my well-being, but he had other things to be worried about, like keeping his scholarship. Lately, he'd been practicing too much. As a result, he barely had time to do his schoolwork, and with his recent refusal to copy my work, his grades were starting to slip. "Besides, it's not like I'm doing anything illegal in obtaining this cash."

He placed a hand on his chin, deep in thought. "Hmm... By the way, what was that thing the Chairman mentioned? Something about volunteer hours."

"None of your beeswax, Aki." I replied as I entered my room, ignoring his protests as I slammed the door behind me, locking it.

~o~

The next day, I dropped by the Student Council Office after school. It was located at the ground floor of the junior high building, near the faculty rooms. It was conveniently labeled "Student Council Room", so I had no trouble finding it. I was debating on whether to knock on the door or simply turn the doorknob when the door swung open.

It was Kirijo, who was expecting me. Nonetheless, she still wasn't thrilled to see me, judging by her raised eyebrow. Taking a deep breath, she managed a smile at me. Trying to keep her reputation, I suppose.

"Let's go to the back of the gym, shall we?" she said in an admirably dignified voice. She beckoned for me to follow. Shoving my hands into the pockets of my pants, I lagged behind her. She nodded and acknowledged the people who greeted her as we moved around the campus, whereas I had to endure some strange looks the teachers and students were giving me as I trailed behind Kirijo.

After what seemed like an eternity, she led me to a storage room located off the side of the gym. Taking a key from her skirt pocket, she unlocked the door and entered the room. I heard the familiar click of the light being switched on. "Enter."

I complied, curious about the warehouse's contents. The lighting was surprisingly bright, better than the light filtering in through the small window. However, it only served to highlight the light layer of dust which coated most of the objects in the room. I had to cover my nose as I entered the room, due to the particles that floated in the air as I stepped inside. Damn, this place needed some airing out. I spotted some old mats rolled up in the corner, a rack of baseball bats, a bin full of volleyballs, and among other things, poles and hurdles stashed in another corner.

At the center of the room was a large mound, covered by a white cloth which has never met a washing machine in its life. Ironically, it was the only object that wasn't covered in dust. Kirijo, who was standing next to it, pulled the cloth away, revealing a bunch of clubs, bludgeons, maces, and hammers stacked haphazardly on each other.

She tucked one of her stray curls behind her ear after casting aside the cloth, coughing a little as she inhaled the dust that scattered through the air. Looking at me straight in the eye, she cleared her throat and spoke grudgingly, "Based on what we researched, you have a lot of strength." I looked at her in disgust. _Research? What were we, lab rats?_ However, Kirijo shrugged off my reaction and continued with her monologue. "Admittedly, your lack of technique makes you unsuitable for ranged weapons, such as bows. Swords and polearms, on the other hand, do not take full advantage of your brute force. With all these said, you are suited for blunt weaponry, which maximizes the use of your strength." _Hmm, Aki said as much, that's why he kept on pestering me about joining his team._"The question is, which type of blunt weapon best suits you?"

I groaned. "Since you guys know so much about me, can't you just pick out one for me?"

"Point taken. Of course, I could do that, but don't blame me if you're stuck wielding a walking stick during our operations," she shot back sarcastically. "Anyway, these weapons were delivered to the school this morning, so take your pick." When she noticed my lack of movement, she narrowed her eyes at me. "Aragaki, enough playing around. If you will continue wasting my time like this, then I will be forced to take drastic measures."

To be honest, I did not like the sound of that. I also did not like the idea of sticking my hand in that goddamned mess. At that moment, a few cuts sounded like a better deal compared to what Kirijo may have in store for me if I disobeyed her. There were rumors going around the school regarding her "executions". Apparently, there was this guy she caught smoking behind the bleachers. Instead of being hauled off to the discipline committee, this guy's case was handled personally by none other than the Student Council President herself. Once she was through with him, he never dared to puff a single cigarette again. Or so the legend went.

Throwing my hands into the air in exasperation, I approached the pile of weapons. For a while, I stared at the stack of weapons, wondering how I was supposed to stick my hand in that mess without causing grievous harm to myself. Gingerly, I pulled out one of the shafts that protruding from the pile. It was halfway out when the pile suddenly gave way, some weapons falling on the floor with a resounding crash.

Kirijo, who was fanning herself by the volleyball bin, studying the ceiling in boredom, straightened up. Surveying the room nervously, she snapped her fan close and ambled towards the small window, taking a peek outside. She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked away from the window, probably because no one noticed the commotion coming from this room. Resuming her old post, she noticed me staring at her. She shot a glare at me, folding her arms and urging me to carry on with what I had to do.

Turning back to the collapsed pile, I thought that I might as well take this choice seriously, considering what the Ice Queen expected of me. Starting with the mace I drew out, I examined the weapons in turn. One thing they had in common was that they were all fucking heavy. Also, none of them felt right. The mace made me feel all fuzzy and holy for some reason. The police baton reminded me too much of my least favorite people on earth. I actually felt comfortable with the sledgehammer, but it looked a little too lame for my taste. Maybe if the handle was a little longer, and the head was somewhat bigger, I might've settled for it. However as things stood, I looked like a freaking carpenter with it. Surprisingly, there were some boxing gloves in the pile, but of course they were obviously out of the question as I pictured Aki getting fired up if he saw me wearing boxing gloves.

I sighed, stowing away my beanie and wiping some sweat off my forehead. Damn, it was getting hot in here; I could feel my armpits getting damp and something sticky on my neck. Any moment now, my sweat's going to seep through my blazer. Not a very flattering sight. Tch, as if I cared about how I looked in front of Kirijo. Speaking of which, it was amazing that she still looked fresh as a freaking daisy.

Picking out a weapon was trickier than I expected. No wonder she left this decision to me; it was a pain in the ass to think about. Giving up on the pile of weapons, I decided to scan the room, spotting a battle axe lying by the door. Why didn't I notice that before? I made my way to it, puzzled as to why such an object was in this room.

"Aragaki, where do you think you're going?" Kirijo demanded, thinking I was walking out on her.

I ignored her and scrutinized the axe in front of me. It had a double-headed blade, and from what I can tell, it was made of steel. It seemed to be of the stainless variety, as the head still glimmered despite the dust. As for the shaft, it was metallic, with a leather grip.

Her expression changed as she noticed my interest in the axe. "That axe… it was supposed to be used as props for a school play," she commented thoughtfully, sauntering towards me. "However, we, the student council, weren't expecting them to bring a real axe when we approved the school production." I raised an eyebrow at her, which she returned with one of her own. "Of course, we had to confiscate the weapon. Somewhere along the way, we forgot to dispose of it." Her lips curled into an amused smile. "Do you want to give it a new home?"

I carefully lifted the axe by its handle, and then gestured for Kirijo to stay back. I did not like the girl, but I didn't want attempted homicide under my record. When I had sufficient area to move around, which was amazing considering the space I had to work with, I tested the weapon by swinging it around several times. _Not bad._ It was heavy enough that I could feel the power of each swing. Despite its weight, I could still lift it to my shoulder with no problem and maneuver properly, although I still needed to work on the latter bit.

She took my enthusiasm as a yes. "It's settled then," she declared. "I'll be bringing that to the dorm using my car, as there would be unnecessary complications if you were to be seen in public with that." She smirked. "If the Chairman were here, he'd say something like 'You've taken a 'shine' to it.'"

I half-grunted, half-smiled at that. Until that moment, I never knew that Miss Priss was capable of cracking jokes, lame as it was.

She studied the mess of weapons on the floor. "Now, how do I take these equipment back to the limousine?" she looked at me expectantly. "I can't leave them lying around overnight, and my driver cannot leave the car alone..."

As much as I wanted to leave her alone in that mess, something in the back of my mind prodded me to help her out. Groaning, I returned the axe to where I found it and picked up the discarded cloth on the floor. I proceeded to pick up some of the weapons, with Kirijo looking on in surprise. Most likely, she wasn't expecting me to agree so readily to her plan.

Damn, it must've been the pun.

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><p>This particular story was longer than I expected.<p>

In summary, we have a somewhat dorky Aki, a fairly jerkass Shinji, and a slightly prissy Mitsuru. Bear in mind that we are talking about them pre-character development. To be fair to them, Aki's still the cool upperclassman type (when he's not around Shinji or Mitsuru), Shinji has a hidden heart of gold, and Mitsuru's greatly admired for her achievements and is still at the top of her class.

At this point, I'll be keeping the contents of the next chapters a surprise. Partially for the suspense factor, and partially because I need some flexibility when writing the stories.

My research in this chapter, regarding blunt weapons, led me to rethink the classification of axes as bludgeons. In fact, I even ran across a forum topic in GameFAQs debating on Axes as Blunt Weaponry. It was fascinating to say the least.

I retconned Shinji into joining SEES at roughly the same time as Aki. I looked through in-game references and trawled various websites to determine the actual point in time when Shinji joined Akihiko and Mitsuru, but it was hard piecing things together. Let's see, he's referred to as one of the founding members, which implies that he joined the club at roughly the same time as the aforementioned characters. However, there was this line that really ticked me off, and sort of conflicted with my earlier notion. In the October 4 Full Moon event, Mitsuru mentions the line "Aragaki was new" when he lost control of his Persona. Rage followed after I played through that part. Partly because of what happens to Shinji, and partly because I was at a total loss as to what I should think about his membership status. That statement contradicted one of the lounge conversations I had with Mitsuru. She mentioned that the three of them were part of SEES since middle school (or junior high, since this is Japan we're talking about). If Shinji was "new", then that's kinda impossible, is it not? Eventually, I decided to disregard that mind-boggling line and go with my original conclusion.

Review reply corner, just for the LULz. Screw the PM function, I have an A/N CORNER!

**EpicPrinnyDood**: Thank you. Yeah, Aki's kind of predictable if you come to think of it, at least during the pre-character development phase. xD  
><strong>AquaAries19<strong>: I suppose it's a matter of opinion. The idea of the beginning of the chapter was Mitsuru having a bad hair day, which doesn't happen very often. The thought did cross my mind, but portraying her this way shows a realistic side of her. I mean, people are entitled to a bad day once in a while. xD Plus, it leaves more room for character development. BTW, I LOL'd at your comment about Shinji.  
>Your fan: xD Thanks!<p> 


	4. Mitsuru: Operation Dancing Hand

_Disclaimer: __Unfortunately, __I __do __not __own __Persona __3 __or __any __of __its __reincarnations. __All __creative __rights __to __the __characters __named __in __this __story __belong __to __Atlus __and __I __certainly __do __not __profit __from __this __story._

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><p><strong>Mitsuru: Operation Dancing Hand<strong>

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><p>Before the Specialized ES was formed, I used to go Shadow hunting by myself. For some reason, it was only Persona users who could damage them. The researchers would tell me where they last spotted the monster, and I'd exterminate the pest using my foil, or blast them away with Penthesilea's Bufu skill, whenever she cooperated with me.<p>

Lately though, the Shadows were becoming stronger, and in addition, their appearances becoming more frequent, so it wasn't long before the SEES' first mission, which came on a Saturday, roughly a week after we have moved in to the dorm. For that occasion, we were assembled at the command room. Even the Chairman was there to give our first briefing.

One of the walls of the room was lined by surveillance equipment. It consisted of televisions displaying what the CCTV cameras caught on video, some Shadow-monitoring devices, and a console that manipulated the aforementioned equipment. It was flanked by two bookshelves, filled with books and research materials on Shadows and the Dark Hour. At the center of the room was a wooden coffee table, which we were seated around. By virtue, being the club president and knowing him the longest, I was seated closest to the Chairman. Sanada, Aragaki, and I sat on the long, brown couch facing the consoles, while he took the lone couch to my right.

Sanada looked fired up, judging by the look on his face, whereas Aragaki seemed a little apprehensive over the upcoming battle, eyeing his friend warily and throwing suspicious glances at me, every now and then.

The Chairman checked the digital display by the consoles, which read 23:45. "It's almost time." The other two settled down upon hearing those words, giving the Chairman their full attention. Leaning forward, he folded his hands, resting his elbows on his lap. "I assume you have all your equipment ready?"

"Yes. I have distributed the Evokers," I replied, while Sanada and Aragaki nodded. "I have prepared my foil." I gestured to the sword lying on the table in front of us. "Aragaki's axe has been sharpened." I raised an eyebrow at the brunet, who returned it with one of his own. "And Sanada says he'll be engaging the Shadow hand-to-hand." I glanced dubiously at his black leather gloves. Were they enough to stand against the Shadows? "Are you sure that you don't need boxing gloves?"

"Kirijo-san, I'll be fine," he assured me. "Besides, it's going to be hard gripping my Evoker if I wore those things." He laughed.

"Point taken." I replied bemusedly.

The Chairman picked up the folder next to my weapon. "Alright, this Shadow that you'll be dealing with has been causing trouble for a nearby Junes." He opened the folder and squinted at the papers it contained. "According to this incident report, some displays were knocked over, and it stole a diamond ring from the jewelry store." He looked up from the text. "Your task is to eliminate the Shadow and retrieve the stolen ring. Copy?" He glanced at each of us in turn, and we nodded to signify our understanding.

"Ah, before I forget, here are your armbands." He fished around inside his briefcase and took out three red armbands with the English letters "S.E.E.S." emblazoned on it. Below those letters, a finer print read "Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad". Good choice of color, I'd say. It went well with our school uniforms. I took mine and wore it on my left arm. Sanada eagerly did the same, while Aragaki rolled his eyes and followed suit.

"I suppose you know the reason why I asked you to wear your uniforms for the operation." I nodded again, while Sanada fidgeted with his blazer. Aragaki swept a hand over his head, probably not used to the absence of his cap. I managed to talk them into wearing the proper uniform, using a concept called "leading by example".

On paper, SEES was listed as an extracurricular club, which centered on doing odd jobs for different people. In case we weren't able to return to the dorm before the Dark Hour ended, our cover for that day was patrolling the area, assisting with the vandal investigation. Our weapons were to serve as a protection of sorts. Not one of the most creative covers in the world, but hopefully it was enough to buy an excuse for Aragaki's weapon and mine. Honestly, I can't think of any good reason why a sane person would be bringing around an axe in the middle of the night.

"Good. So, remember the plan. Akihiko and Shinjiro will engage the Shadow, whereas Mitsuru will provide support from the rear. Remember to listen to her commands."

According to the lab, Penthesilea had some analyzing capabilities, which could rival those machines and tools they used to keep track of the Shadows. This was the main reason why I was to serve as backup, because the Shadows were starting to become more adept at staying away from the Ergo Division's radar. My Persona may be able to track and scan them better. This operation was to serve as a test for her analyzing skills.

Honestly, I was a little nervous about tonight's operation. Aside from being the first time I'll be in the sidelines, I wasn't too confident about working with Sanada and Aragaki. I had no doubts about their strength, but would they listen to me, especially when the situation called for it? Sanada was the boxing team captain; I don't think he's used to taking orders, especially from a girl. On the other hand, Aragaki and I seem to always be getting off on the wrong foot. It may have something to do with me being an authority figure.

The greenish moonlight filtering through the window by the bookshelf signaled that the Dark Hour has arrived. The command room had special equipment that worked even during the Dark Hour, so the electronic devices within the room did not shut down.

The Chairman stood up. "Off you go, then." He gestured towards the door. "I wish you luck on your operation."

I took a deep breath to compose myself. "Thank you, Chairman." I picked up my foil, stood up, and signaled for Sanada and Aragaki to follow me out of the room.

~o~

We reached Junes in five minutes. The department store was only one block away from our dormitory, which was a distance easily covered by foot. Of course, when we arrived, the gates have been locked down.

"So, how are we going to find the Shadow?" asked Aragaki, cautiously surveying the area, while Sanada looked around his surroundings in awe. They probably never wandered outside during the Dark Hour. It is surprising to see everything bathed in green and seeing bloodstains where water was supposed to be. However, since I was used to seeing this, I did not flinch at the surroundings. "Are we going to ask around for directions, Kirijo? No one around here except a bunch of coffins."

I shot him the iciest glare I could manage. "Wait." I paused in my tracks, and closed my eyes in concentration. This is amazing, seeing through Penthesilea's eyes. There was a map of the area in my head. It seemed to be limited to a 100-meter radius, though. Nonetheless, I could sense some entities within that area, and I believe that our target was one of them. "It's around the corner!" I ran towards the being I sensed, while the two trailed behind me.

There it was, at the food court. It was unlike the Shadows I've seen before. The only ones I've fought are what the scientists called Mayas. Those resembled a shapeless, black mass. This one, however, had a definite form, that of a hand. For a hand, it was large, I'd say it was almost as tall as I was. It was, for the lack of a better word, "standing" on its ring, middle, index finger. It wore a pink glove with strange white patterns and a Magician Arcana mask over its face, where the wrist should be. More importantly, I see it wearing a diamond ring on its index finger. Was that the ring it stole from the store? It's huge. It would probably fit my wrist, but certainly not my finger.

Fortunately, it hasn't taken notice of us yet. _Perfect, __we __can __still __ambush __it._ The food court was clear of coffins, so we could go all out without hurting any bystanders. Though, I'm not too sure about the property around us.

"That's our target." I was about to draw my foil, however I remembered my duty that day. _Backup, __Mitsuru. _Slowly, my hand moved away from my weapon. Instead, I glanced at Sanada and Aragaki. They took it as a signal to prepare for battle.

Sanada was the first to charge at the enemy. Nimbly stepping around the tables and chairs in the area, he closed in on the enemy and knocked it down with a left hook. He was about to strike it again when the Shadow recovered, and with amazing speed, scurried away, knocking down some tables and chairs. His fist met thin air, and nearly cost him his balance. "Damn!" Awkwardly, he sidestepped to his right to avoid an Agi spell thrown in his direction. A nearby table caught fire, which I hastily put out by shooting a Bufu spell at it.

Aragaki took that as his cue to join in the fray. Instead of charging in with his axe, he stopped a few meters away from the enemy, took out his Evoker, and fired it at his temple. "Persona!" The sound of breaking glass echoed through the silent night. Castor materialized and slashed through the Shadow's middle.

"Why didn't I think of that?" After seeing the damage caused by Castor, Sanada took out his Evoker and prepared to use it.

A gut feeling, no, Penthesilea, was telling me that it wouldn't work, whatever Sanada was planning. "Don't!" I cried out.

It was no use. Sanada fired his Evoker, and Polydeuces released a Zio spell. The spell hit the Shadow, but it seemed more annoyed by it, rather than damaged, judging by the way it locked on to Sanada.

I expected it, but I still can't believe it. He didn't bother listening to me. My voice was definitely audible, because Aragaki, who was farther away than Sanada, turned to look at me when I shouted.

"It resists or blocks elemental spells. Stick to physical attacks."

"Could've told us—" Sanada was interrupted by a wave of ice shards fired in his direction. He dove for cover behind one of the round tables that have been knocked down, ducking under the table as the shards flew over his head.

"Excuse me!" I replied indignantly. "If you stopped when I—"

"Now's not," grunted Aragaki as he swung his axe to chop off the Shadow's head, "the time for this!" He missed, and the Shadow retaliated by firing an Agi spell at him. He deflected most of the blow using his axe, but it managed to scald his cheek. "Kirijo," he grimaced at the pain, "weaknesses?"

I pressed a hand to my head, concentrating with all my might. _Weak __point, __weak __point__… __Penthesilea, __a __hand __here, __please_. For some reason, it was taking me quite a while to determine the target's weakness.

"Kirijo!" Dimly, I could hear Aragaki calling my name. "Need—info—fucker—" I cannot see what was going on, but judging by the things coming out of his mouth, things were not going well.

My scanning was interrupted by a gust of wind that sent me staggering backwards. It sent me snapping back to reality, and I had a full view of the battleground once more. A quick survey of the area told me that the same wind knocked down Sanada and Aragaki.

Sanada recovered first, extracting himself from the remains of the table he used as a shield. Once he was within range of the Shadow, he summoned his Persona. Instead of firing electricity at it, Polydeuces punched the Shadow with its needle arm, knocking it down.

It dawned on me as he struck the Shadow. "That's it! Strike attacks! It's weak against Strike attacks!"

Aragaki seemed to have heard me. "Hello, ugly." Aragaki lifted his axe, poised to strike. "Ready for a makeover?" He charged at the Shadow as it started getting up, landing a blow on its back, knocking it over once more. He proceeded to hack away at it, bringing his axe down. Again, and again. _Amazing._ Indeed, this guy had everything in the way of brute strength.

A few swings later, he stopped to catch his breath. Leaning on the handle of his weapon, he panted, "Did that do it?" He leered at the Shadow, which was lying flat on the ground. The multiple strikes haven't done anything to ruin its form, but I could tell that it was almost done for.

"A couple of strikes should do it." I glanced at Sanada, who was panting heavily. I suppose for someone who wasn't used to summoning their Persona, two times must've been quite draining. Personally, the first time I took down a Shadow, I fainted from exhaustion. That time, we weren't sure what brought out my Persona, so I had to experiment with different means, some being quite extreme. The Evoker must've helped in aiding the summoning, because Sanada was still standing despite using Polydeuces twice in one night.

Aragaki, who was nearest to the Shadow, was about to assail the Shadow again when it rose, and with blinding speed, scurried away. I could sense that it had no more intention of fighting. It was running away. _Unacceptable._ An escaped Shadow was equivalent to failure. "Come back here!" I leapt over the scattered chairs and broken tables, chasing after the fleeing Shadow. While pursuing it, I took out my Evoker and summoned Penthesilea, hoping that her Bufu skill could slow it down. Fortunately, it worked. The spells I fired caused the Shadow to flinch, and eventually, I was able to catch up with it.

I did not waver from my attacks upon reaching striking distance. Ignoring the burning feeling in my legs and the tightness in my chest, I unsheathed my foil and thrust it at the Shadow. Swinging my weapon with precision, I struck its center relentlessly. I finished it off with a kick, making sure my two-inch heels drove the point home.

It did. The Shadow collapsed on the ground, and slowly disintegrated as I sheathed my foil.

Sanada and Aragaki caught up with me, breathing heavily. The latter, after catching his breath, remarked, "Nice one, Kirijo," said Aragaki, giving me a look that was a cross between disbelief and admiration.

No longer able to hold my weight, my knees gave way. My heart was still racing, although it was starting to slow down its pace. Sinking to the ground, I noticed something shimmering from the place where the Shadow dissolved into nothingness. Sanada walked towards the object, and picked it up. Returning to the two of us, he knelt in front of me and handed the tiny object to me. I gazed at the object on my palm. It was a diamond ring, most likely the one stolen from the store.

A laugh escaped from Aragaki's throat. When I glared at him, he said, "Aki, you look like you're proposing to Kirijo." He looked away from us, clutching his stomach as he broke into another fit of semi-hysterical laughter.

Sanada and I looked at each other. When his grey eyes met my red ones, my cheeks started to burn. Horrified, I quickly averted my gaze. I fail to see what was so funny about it, but Aragaki had a point. This was definitely not a position my father would approve of.

"Kirijo-san, is there something on my face?"

I groaned. "Don't mind me." Closing my hand around the ring, I tried to stand up, but my right leg wouldn't cooperate. After casting one dirty look at his friend, Sanada helped me up. I whispered my thanks to him, and approached Aragaki.

My legs managed not to give out on me. "Your face." His Persona must have some sort of regenerative skill, because his cheek was starting to heal. However, it still had some way to go. I drew out my Evoker. There was a panicked look on Aragaki's face as I fired it. Smiling mischievously, I watched as Penthesilea casted a healing spell on him, making the burn disappear.

"Scared of 'Dia', Aragaki?"

"Hell no!"

Still grinning, I said, "As you can see, it's a healing spell." I turned to Sanada. "I believe your Persona also has that skill. You can use it to heal minor injuries caused by Shadows."

"Should I test it out?"

"No, I'll handle the healing for now. You seem exhausted." I summoned my Persona again and healed Sanada.

"Yeah," he admitted, leaning on a nearby lamp post. "I've never felt this tired in my life, not even during a full-round match I had against Yasogami High." He smiled feebly at me. "By the way, thanks for the healing, Kirijo-san."

"No problem." This time, I looked at him sternly. "However, please remember to listen to me, especially during battle."

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"Does mine have Dia?" asked Aragaki.

I couldn't resist chuckling at that. "No, your Persona is offense-oriented. Quite like you, actually."

Sanada laughed at that, and to my surprise, even Aragaki took that in stride and smiled awkwardly at my barb.

"True, I can't imagine my Persona doing that healing crap."

The street lamps came back to life, signaling the end of the Dark Hour. I froze, my euphoria turning into dread. We forgot to bolt out of the area after defeating the Shadow. _Why, __oh __why __did __we __decide __to __have __this __conversation __over __here, __when __we __could__'__ve __talked __back __at __the __lounge? _Sanada and Aragaki also realized this, judging by the alarmed looks they were throwing me.

We were about to hightail out of the area when I heard some footsteps drawing close to us. "You there!" A man in uniform approached us. He had cropped, dark grey hair that stopped a little below his ears, and was taller than any of us. "What are you kids doing here, this late at night?"

The three of us stopped dead on our tracks. This situation, it was my fault. As the leader, I have to take responsibility. I mustered a pleasant smile on my face and met the man's eyes. "Officer," I said, briefly checking his nametag, "Kurosawa, we were assigned to patrol this area."

"So you're the group of students that were supposed to go on a detective field trip with us? Too late, we are about to wrap up our patrol in this area. My companions just left." He scrutinized each of us, frowning. "Why do you have those weapons with you?" His expression turned suspicious. "It is against the law to carry those around."

"Officer, you do know it's dangerous for a lady to wander around at night." I stated in a matter-of-fact voice. "Sanada-san and Aragaki-san here," I said, both of them flinching when I used honorifics, "were so kind enough to accompany me on this trip. On the other hand, it is my father's request that I bring my foil with me during the times I go out at night."

"Look, Miss…"

"Kirijo. Kirijo Mitsuru."

He raised an eyebrow at my name. "Miss Kirijo." He paused. "I know your family carries a lot of clout in Japan, but rules are rules. Unless you can show me a permit which states that the two of you," he said, glancing at me, then Aragaki, "are allowed to carry these weapons, then I'm afraid that I need to ask you to come with me to the station."

I balled my fist in frustration, wondering how we were going to get out of this sticky situation. A flash of inspiration struck me as I felt the object inside my clenched fist.

"Officer, I understand where you are coming from, but before we go anywhere, I believe we found something of interest to you." I held out my hand to him and opened it, revealing the diamond ring we retrieved.

He took the ring from me, and examined it. "Where did you get this?" As I expected, he looked surprised to see the ring.

"We defeated the thief."

"Really, you kids?" He looked at me in disbelief. "You should've called us!"

"…It's not a job the police can handle."

"You are greatly underestimating us, Miss Kirijo."

My tone and expression turned serious. "I'm not, Officer Kurosawa."

I could tell he wasn't buying it, but seeing that there was no other logical explanation, he sighed in defeat. "Very well." Indeed, it was hard to believe that a bunch of teenagers that appeared out of the blue can take care of a thief that has eluded the police for several days. "Where's the thief now?"

I smiled serenely at him. "Some things are better left unknown, Officer."

"By chance, you weren't the ones who stole the ring?"

"If we did, would we admit it?" I chuckled.

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards at my statement. "Normally, I would haul you in to the station for questioning, but the person who filed this case simply wished for the return of the ring, no questions asked."

Sanada yawned. "So, Officer, we can return to our dormitory now, right?"

"I suppose so," Officer Kurosawa agreed reluctantly. "Go, before I change my mind."

Heeding his words, the three of us bowed at him and left.

As we were walking back to the dorm, I had a nagging feeling that this would not be the last we would see of Officer Kurosawa.

* * *

><p>What can I say, the past month has kept me busy. I only picked this up again after working on and off <em>Half <em>_Moon_, so I apologize for the delay.

The next chapter will probably be out in a month, although it mostly depends on my writing pace.

**AquaAries19** and **Axark**, thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you loved the stories. :)


	5. Akihiko: False Alarm

_Disclaimer: __Unfortunately, __I __do __not __own __Persona __3 __or __any __of __its __reincarnations. __All __creative __rights __to __the __characters __named __in __this __story __belong __to __Atlus __and __I __certainly __do __not __profit __from __this __story._

* * *

><p><strong>Akihiko: False Alarm<strong>

* * *

><p>"Senpai?"<p>

"Yes, Kaname-san?" I wondered what this person had to say, which had to be important that she had to drag me all the way here.

"I…"

My face creased into a concerned look. "What is it?" Was she being bullied?

"I… " For some reason, she blushed in response." I…"

"Is someone from the boxing team giving you trouble?"

"N-no, Senpai." Her face was completely scarlet now. "It's not that. I…"

I frowned at her. This was puzzling. "Then what's the matter?"

"…I love you."

I should have known.

~o~

"Hey Aki. What took you so long?"

Shinji smirked at me as I entered our classroom. I simply tossed a glare in his direction as I made my way to my seat on the third row. He probably knew that was going to happen at the rooftop, and never bothered giving me a warning.

"…Shut up, Shinji." I was not in the mood for his teasing.

He turned his seat towards me, placed his arms on the back rest and rested his chin on them as I slumped on my desk. "How was girl number five, or was that girl number seven? I lost track of them already."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "She has a name. It's Kaname Yuki." I probably said it snappier than I intended to, but it did the job.

The playfulness in Shinji's tone was gone. "What's wrong, Aki?" His smirk was replaced by a serious frown. "I was teasing, in case you didn't notice."

"I know." Normally, I wouldn't be bothered by this, as he already did this multiple times before when I rejected a girl. This time, I felt really terrible. Yuki was the manager of the boxing club, and she was a very sweet person. A little reserved, but she always greeted us with a smile on her face before and after practice. She often expressed concern about our health and to be honest, it bordered on annoying sometimes, but I knew she meant well. She didn't deserve to be rejected like this, but I simply didn't feel the same way as she did.

"…Why me? What is it that I do that keeps these girls coming?"

To my surprise, Shinji burst into laughter. I wasn't the only one taken aback by his actions, judging by the strange looks our classmates threw in our direction.

"That's it?" He managed to spit out as his laughter died down. "You seriously don't know, Aki?"

At this point I was genuinely ticked off at him. "Yes, that's it."

Shinji chuckled. I hoped that the edge in my voice wasn't so evident, but knowing him, he probably noticed it.

"So, are you telling me or not?"

"I think it's better if you find out on your own."

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"Think of it as a learning experience. Besides, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

Shinji groaned. "Nope, definitely not a good idea." He glanced at the wall clock at the back of the classroom then rose from his seat. "Bye, Aki."

"Wait what." I quickly took a look at the time. Fifteen minutes until the end of lunch. "Where are you going?" Was he planning to cut—

"I'm not sticking around to listen to Yumiko-sensei ramble on about systems of linear equations."

—Yes, he was. "Kirijo-san's going to kill you." I remembered how pissed she got one afternoon when she discovered that Shinji was cutting classes. Needless to say, it was not a pleasant sight and was terrible on the ears.

"Fuck that. I'm going." And with that, Shinji left the classroom without a further word.

~o~

When I returned to the dorm after boxing practice, I arrived to hear Mitsuru lecturing Shinji on the finer points of going to class. Just as I expected.

As usual, Shinji was simply sitting there, a bored expression on his face as Mitsuru prattled on.

"…Important in learning."

"Yeah."

"You don't want to repeat your third year of junior high because of your poor attendance rate."

"Yeah."

"I slowly stripped off my clothes as I danced the Macarena at the school grounds."

"Yeah."

Mitsuru narrowed her eyes at Shinji. "Are you even listening to me, Aragaki?" There was a dangerous glint in her eyes as she spoke. If it were me in his shoes, I would've graciously retreated.

But Shinji wasn't me. He met Mitsuru's glare with equal intensity. "No matter what you say, it all boils down to whether or not I choose to go to class. The thing is, it's _my_ choice. Your words have no bearing on that decision. The point is, Kirijo, it's none of your business. None. Of. Your. Fucking. Business."

Mitsuru looked like she wanted to stab Shinji with the pen she was holding.

She might have, if I didn't choose to step in that moment. "H-hey…"

"Sanada!" Mitsuru seemed taken aback at my presence. "W-welcome back." For some reason, her cheeks flushed red as she said that, more so when our eyes met. She quickly looked away and began to fiddle with her pen. At least she didn't look like she was going to murder Shinji with it.

"Yo, Aki." Shinji said a little too casually.

"Sanada, maybe you can try getting through Aragaki." Mitsuru glared at Shinji. "As you probably heard, I have been failing miserably."

I let out a coarse laugh at that one. Shinji, listen to me? Probably when hell freezes over and stops inviting guests in its chambers.

~o~

Lately, Mitsuru has been acting strange.

At the dormitory, I often caught her staring at me when she thought I wasn't looking. When I glanced at her in return, she made it a point to quickly look away and pretend that nothing happened. In addition to that, I noticed that she had a hard time looking me in the eye at school whenever she had to approach me for matters such as meetings with the Chairman. I could've sworn that she flushed red while asking me as well.

When I shared my observations with Shinji, he simply laughed at me. "Are you sure you're not imagining things?"

"Definitely not."

"Why would Kirijo be interested in you?"

I did a double take at that. "Huh? 'Interested'?" Did he mean _that_ kind of 'interested'?

"Yeah. The symptoms you mentioned. Tell me, don't they sound familiar?"

I paused to think. A sinking feeling formed at the pit of my stomach as I recalled several incidents leading up to all those past rejections I had to do. Ever since that day I returned a pen she dropped on the ground, Natsuki has been unable to look me in the eye. I could've sworn Ritsu kept on looking at me whenever she thought I wasn't looking. Also, Yuki had a tendency to flush red whenever she talked to me. At first I thought it was just her shyness talking, but it could've been what Shinji was talking about.

"Thought so." He must've read the dumbfounded expression on my face.

I felt my blood run cold. "Shinji, what should I do?"

"The hell should I know?"

"You're the one who brought it up."

"Forget what I said." Shinji was beginning to look like he regretted entering this conversation with me, judging by the way he turned away. "For all I know, I could be wrong. Why don't you ask her yourself?"

My jaw dropped at that.

"It's easier said than done, but that's the only way to be sure about that."

I closed my mouth, partly because it was stupid to leave my jaw hanging like that, and partly because a fly nearly found a home in it. I swatted it away immediately. It was true, what Shinji said. But how was I supposed to react if she said that yes, she liked me?

~o~

And so, that question bothered me for the following days and weeks.

How was I supposed to reject Mitsuru? This _was_ Kirijo Mitsuru we're talking about: student council president, fencer extraordinaire, and heir to the Kirijo fortune. Any of those by itself would be intimidating, but roll them all into one person, and we've got a woman you definitely wouldn't want to cross.

She didn't seem to care that I was the captain of the boxing team or that I was a guy in general. Fear did not exist in that woman's dictionary. Mitsuru was the first person my age that could butt heads with Shinji and live to tell the tale. Admittedly, they fought to a stalemate most of the time, but still. Because of that, I did not want to get on her bad side. Heck, during our operations, I found it hard to disobey her commands. How much more something as heavy as this?

Not knowing what to do, I simply didn't give her a chance to speak to me. I stayed behind in practice as much as possible and whenever I returned to the dormitory, I made it a point to head straight to my room and lock myself in there. At school, I bolted out of the classroom as soon as lunch break rolled around, and returned only when it was five minutes before it ended.

...Of course, I wasn't able to avoid her forever.

She got a hold of me one lunch break, before I was able to make my escape. "Sanada, can I talk to you for a moment?" She fidgeted a little as she spoke to me, but she wore a mild look of annoyance, which was a little funny when paired up with that. "I've been looking for you all week, but you seemed to be very busy." Ah, so she noticed that. "I promise not to take more than ten minutes of your time."

"Can't it wait?" This was my last ditch attempt to hold her off for a few more days, at best.

She glared at me. "No, it can't. I've been meaning to talk to you for a while about this matter."

Some of my classmates were tossing strange looks at our direction. I sighed, seeing no way out of this situation without being forcibly rude. "Okay, Kirijo-san, lead the way."

I suppose I'll just wing it and see what happens.

~o~

Once again, I found myself at the rooftop.

"Yes, Kirijo-san?"

"I…" Gone was the look of irritation on her face. Mitsuru looked away from me, obviously flustered. I supposed she was trying to collect her thoughts.

An odd sense of déjà vu washed over me as I observed her. "Out with it." I might as well get this over with, the sooner, the better.

"I…" She finally dared to look me in the eye, still blushing wildly. "Is it…"

I nodded in resignation, indicating for her to continue speaking.

"Is it okay if I started calling you Akihiko instead of Sanada?" She blurted out.

I was about to say no, but upon digesting that it was not a love confession, the word died on my lips. Instead, I stared at her with a dumbfounded look of confusion.

She took my expression the wrong way. "You don't have to say yes." She hastened to reassure me, but her expression betrayed her disappointment at my reaction. "It's just that I have never called anyone by their first name in my life, and somehow I would like to experience what it's like. I apologize. That might've been me overstepping my boundaries."

"It's not that, I was just surprised, that's all."

"Surprised?"

"…I thought you were going to ask something else."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah." I laughed in relief. Right now, part of me wanted to pump my fist in the air, glad that all that worrying was for nothing, and another half of me wanted to kick myself for thinking that she was going to confess.

"Are you alright?" She glanced at me uncertainly.

Did I look that crazy? "I'm fine, Kirijo-san." I grinned at her sheepishly. "Well, I don't mind being called 'Akihiko'. After all, we're friends, aren't we?"

"'Friends'?" She put a finger to her bottom lip, pondering on the word that came out of her mouth.

"Yep. Friends. "

"I feel honored to be called your friend." She bowed at me. "Thank you."

"Aw, shucks." I began to scratch the back of my neck nervously, turning away as I felt my face warm up. "No need to be so formal about it, Kirijo-san."

"Very well." She withdrew from her bow, a faint grin forming on her lips. "Then I suppose you should start calling me Mitsuru, then."

I was going to tell her that she had nothing to be sorry for, but her statement after that threw me off guard. Again. "W-what?"

"Isn't it a reasonable expectation?" She gave me a puzzled look. "After all, I'll be calling you Akihiko, and if I were to go by what you said, we're friends, aren't we? So it's supposed to be fine."

I smiled in amusement. This girl drove a hard bargain, alright. "Fair enough, Mitsuru."

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><p>…Akihiko's chapters end up being the shortest for some reason. Welp.<p>

Actually, this was around 3000 words, but I deleted a huge segment of this story, as it did not contribute much to the main idea of the chapter.

Thank you for reviewing, **Axark** and **tetrakarn**. c:

I'm doing away with the review reply corner on this chapter and the succeeding ones, since I have been making extensive use of 's PM function. It might be redundant of me to post the replies I made through that.

Okay, update on the author's life: She's entering one of the busiest months of her school life, the month before her (hopefully) last semester in college ends. Because of all the deadlines coming up, she will be very preoccupied with keeping up with school. Among her many distractions, fan fiction writing is the first to take a backseat, due to all the time and brainpower it consumes. She apologizes to her readers for making them wait. Nonetheless, she assures them that she has plans of finishing her stories, but admittedly, it is going to take a while for her to do so.

Until the next chapter, she bids you farewell.


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